My piranha won't stop biting me!

Bryan47 · Nov 25, 2014

So at first it was cute. It didn't really hurt. It was only when I went in the far right side of the tank. That's where the anemone lives. Well now that's where anemones live. That's quite the magic trick they do! I understood the symbiotic relationship that I had arranged, it's an amazing thing to see. You let me frolic all over you and sleep in your tentacles and I will viciously defend you and our friendship. I was so lucky that these designer fish named after da Vinci were in my tank and we're hosting. Isn't that what we all want? It's a truly awesome thing to watch and guests are blown away.

The problem now is that my "piranha" the female da Vinci clown of the pair, goes after my hand EVERY SINGLE TIME MY HAND GOES IN THE TANK. I can put my hand 4 feet away on the left side and as soon as she catches a glimpse she torpedoes over with her smaller make counter part to make sure I get my daily aggravation. I can't shoe her away or distract her. So every time my hand goes in she bites me multiple times.

The most AGGRAVATING part and if I'm honest I've almost lost my cool and let her see how funny of a clown my cat thinks she is.. When I have a coral in my hand, whether I am acclimating it, moving it, inspecting it, adjusting it she shifts her biting of me to BITING AND NIPPING at the coral that has done nothing wrong. It's like she knows her biting the coral is what really sets me off. So I'll have a coral in hand and she's darting in trying to bite it I'm trying to fend her off, I'll end up knocking something else over and I need to find a solution. They are so beautiful and I love both of them I just can't sacrifice the rest of the tank and being being able to provide proper care to the tank and everyone in it.

Please tell me you have dealt with this and came up with a magical solution! I am really trying to think outside the box but I need some help over here. Please!

Oh how perfect an encrusting montipora (who is awful at encrusting. I'm going to use the concrete from the meeting and concrete hime to the rock jk!) had just fallen off his rock onto the sand. I will take a video of what happens!

Clownfish biting - YouTube

Help please!

Ktm898 · Nov 25, 2014

1 of my clowns act the same, well besides biting coral. I get so aggravated i want to just throw him across the room.

SteelerMike · Nov 25, 2014

I have a pair of snowflakes and the female bites me every time I put my hand in the tank. It doesn't really hurt but I cant seem to keep myself from flinching which can be quite problematic

. I will actually try to flick my finger at her and she dodges and bites me!! They are my favorite fish in the tank but boy would I like to get her to stop!

kb1094 · Nov 25, 2014

I used to have a da Vinci pair also. The female always attacked me, but not to the point where it gets annoying and attacks the corals.

Bryan47 · Nov 26, 2014

SteelerMike said:
I have a pair of snowflakes and the female bites me every time I put my hand in the tank. It doesn't really hurt but I cant seem to keep myself from flinching which can be quite problematic . I will actually try to flick my finger at her and she dodges and bites me!! They are my favorite fish in the tank but boy would I like to get her to stop!

That is too funny ! My only defense is to flick at her and I miss EVERY TIME. If she would stop biting the coral I would be fine with it. She knocked a small acropora frag clean off its frag and it is now white as snow and I assume dead

she's popped Zoa polyps clean off and I have to catch them flying around the tank.if she could only grasp I'm the one truly taking care of her beloved anemone. I think she just likes to **** me off. And my picasso trigger spits sand all over everything! Tank full of children!

Sully · Nov 26, 2014

My first clown was an occy that would attack me every time my hand went in the tank. SHe/he was lost in a tank crash. I now have two Wyoming whites that could care less when I'm in there cleaning. I'm sure that will change at some point but all clowns are different. I don't know of anything you can do to stop it except wear rubber gloves before they get to big and start drawing blood, lol.